Chula Vista man coaxed from burning house

Chula Vista  A Carissa Court resident suffered smoke inhalation early Tuesday while trying to use a garden hose to douse flames engulfing the second floor of his home, Chula Vista fire officials said.

The blaze broke out about 1 a.m. at the house near Olympic Parkway and flames were soon roaring out the upper story windows.

A man who lived in the home appeared distraught in news media video as he sat on the sidewalk, weeping. He told police officers his mother was in the hospital with a broken hip. Paramedics then took him to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

“He was on the first floor with a garden hose” when firefighters arrived, fire Battalion Chief Michael Reeves told reporters. “They were able to coax him outside to get some medical attention.”

Reeves said it took firefighters about 15 minutes to knock down most of the flames, which continued to smolder for several hours. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.